The Joy of Companionship
by GrimGrave
Summary: Peach adopts Poochy. A short, simple fluff story. Requested by ultimateCCC.


**Dislcaimer: Super Mario bros. series and all characters associated belong to Nintendo. GrimGrave owns nothing.**

Requested by ultimateCCC.

_The Joy of Companionship_

Being captured time and again really made you think about how lucky you were with your freedom; with Bowser once again taken care of thanks to the knight in blue overalls, Peach travelled across the kingdoms with Tiara, exploring to her heart's content. From the chill of the Snow Kingdom to the heat of the Sand Kingdom, Peach enjoyed her renewed freedom with a spring in her step and a smile on her lips. With Tiara for company and the occasional meeting with Mario, she was never alone. But it couldn't last forever.

They both knew that Tiara would have to go home eventually and so would Peach. Back to duties as a royal, taking care of important matters in-between meeting the occasional friend like Daisy or Rosalina. Maybe Mario would swing once in a blue moon, but she would be alone for the most part. That was probably why a part of her was excited when she got kidnapped, sadly enough; it meant for her time away from the castle and an excuse to spend time on her hobbies and hang out with friends for a spell when she was inevitably rescued.

At least now in the lust jungle she could relax and be at peace as she and Tiara rested in a small glen. The sounds of the wildlife around them were pleasant as was the weather.

"I soooo needed this," Peach exclaimed as she bit into the sandwich she had made for the journey. "Fine weather, shade, and no Bowser in sight."

"Indeed," Tiara responded as she floated about. "It's nice to know that's behind us now. I've always longed to travel across the kingdoms like this."

Peach giggled. "My sentiments exactly."

The bushes suddenly rustled, alarming the two. There was a sound, animal in nature and resembling a growl. Peach didn't know much in the way of fighting, but a good frying pan to the face or a well-aimed kick would surely send whatever was lurking in the foliage packing.

Something rather large darted out of the bushes and the princess immediately dropped her guard. What she had thought to be a beast or one of Bowser's minions turned out to be an odd creature with the happiest face in the world; its furry coat was spotted white and light brown and its body was oblong with four stumpy little legs. Its tail was slim with a red ball attached at the end and its lips were thick with a red tongue lolled out of it. A pair of small black eyes peered curiously at them and the creature barked non-threating as it hopped over.

"Aw, aren't you a cutey little poochy?" Peach immediately dropped to her haunches in front of the approaching dog. "Oh my gosh, so you are! Yes you are!"

She reached out and patted the dog's head. Poochy barked and wagged his tail, clearly enjoying the attention he was receiving.

"Huh. I wasn't expecting to find a creature like this while travelling," Tiara remarked as she scrutinized the creature. "He's certainly adorable, though."

"Right?" She giggled and scratched Poochy's head. He sniffed around and attempted to circle around her when it dawned on the princess. "Oh dear. Were you hungry?" She held out her sandwich. "Here you go!"

Poochy sniffed the sandwich for a moment before catching it with his tongue before it disappeared into his mouth. His tail wagged happily and he barked.

"Did you like that?" Peach asked and giggled. "I have some more if you want."

The dog immediately perked up and ran around in circles with an elated bark.

"Aw, you're just the cutest! Here." She handed Poochy another sandwich and smiled at the dog. The way it joyfully jumped around in response was adorable.

"As fun as this is," Tiara began. "We need to get moving, princess. It's going to get dark in a few hours and we need to make some headway through the jungle."

"Yes, of course." Peach got up and patted the dog on the head. "Alright poochy-poo, you take care now, okay?"

She made to leave the glen, Tiara fluttering around her, but a low whine forced her to stop in her tracks. Looking back, she saw the dog sombrely follow her.

"Oh dear…"

"Looks like it quickly got attached to you," Tiara remarked. "What do we do now?"

Peach smiled at the dog and kneeled down as she patted him. An idea quickly formed in her mind; if Poochy really was attached to her, perhaps she could take him home. She had always liked the thought of having a pet around to keep her company and Poochy was quite affectionate. There was no shortage of space at her castle either so he could run around as much as he wanted.

The more she thought of this the more Peach felt it was the right thing to do.

**x.x.x**

They say that dogs are man's best friend and diamonds were girls'; well, `they´ clearly didn't know what they were talking about. Peach wasn't one for flashy clothes or expensive jewellery, but she had never had a pet before in her life. Yoshis didn't count given their intelligence, but so far her days with Poochy had proven easy enough.

She fed him regularly and gave him treats when he behaved exceptionally well. They went out for walks every day and every once in a while the princess would go out for a morning jog with Poochy right beside her. Sometimes he even offered to take her to where she wanted to go and did so effortlessly.

Peach had found what she now realized had been a missing piece in her life; a companionship like no other; someone who kept her company when she was confined indoors, a loyal friend who cheered her up when sad and brought a smile to her lips when she woke up each morning. Someone who would miss her if she didn't come home after a while and stayed by her side through thick and thin.

All of this and more of which Peach happily returned ten times over. Over time their bonds grew stronger; Poochy followed Peach like a shadow and slept by the end of her bed. They brought joy to each other's lives and filled the void of loneliness that had plagued them.

Days had turned into weeks and weeks into months. Whenever you spotted Peach, Poochy was guaranteed to be close behind and today was not an exception.

Out on a verdant field in the middle of the Mushroom Kingdom, the princess was enjoying herself on a blanket with a sunhat and a picnic basket. The sun was out and not a cloud in the sky. Poochy was lying next to Peach, wagging his tail as he oft did while she fed him his favourite food: sandwiches.

"It's a lovely day, don't you agree?" She giggled as he barked back with a smile on his face. "But let's not laze around too much. You should get some exercise."

Poochy immediately perked up and barked.

Peach got up with a small ball in her hand which immediately got his attention. "Do you see the ball, Poochy? Go get it!"

She threw it as far as she could. Having participated in sporting events for as long as she had along with various parties with her friends, Peach had a knack for most sports. The ball flew high and long and Poochy ran like the wind as he chased it. It was simple moments like these that truly brightened her day.

"Well, well, well, look who I happened to run into." A shiver ran up her spine. The voice, deep and guttural, was unmistakeable along with the large shadow that now covered her.

"Oh, no, not again!" Peach lamented angrily as she spun around. "Why must you keep appearing every other moment, Bowser?!"

The King of Koopas guffawed. "Playing hard to get, huh? I don't mind, but it's getting old don't you think, princess?" He stepped closer and leant down with a toothy grin. "Mario isn't here to interfere this time, my dear. Surely we can keep it civil this time?"

"You really only hear what you want to hear, don't you?" Peach snapped at Bowser. "Leave. Me. Alone! I've had enough of you as it is!"

The giant Koopa bristled, his nostrils flaring with jets of smoke. "The hard way then. Gotcha. I really don't see how you can't-"

His voice turned into a roar that echoed across the kingdom. His eyes were wide as saucers and fire spouted from his maw as he suddenly dashed past the princess, crying out in pain as he did. It wasn't until he did that that Peach understood what had gotten into him; Poochy was holding onto Bowser's tail, chewing on it like it was a toy while avoiding the spikes like a good boy.

Peach airily laughed. "Oh Poochy. My hero!"

It would be quite some time before Poochy eventually let go of the big Koopa's tail, his bite leaving a firm reminder that the princess had more than the Mario bros. protecting her.

The faithful dog returned to her side, happy and loyal as always. It was said that Poochy never left her side for many years and Peach was the happiest whenever her dog was around.

_When we adopt a dog or any pet, we know it is going to end with us having to say goodbye, but we still do it. And we do it for a very good reason: They bring so much joy and optimism and happiness. They attack every moment of every day with that attitude. - _W. Bruce Cameron


End file.
